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The Royaume
"A people united under one crown, one society for all." - From the creed of the Royaume. History The Royaume was the first kingdom to be founded by humans, albeit with a strong Elven influence guiding the culture. It can date itself back to the early Dawn Era, when the upheavel caused by the collapse of the Elven Domains led to unrest and strife among the human population left relatively unscathed. The Royaume fought a war for complete independence from The Elven Domain soon after it's creation, however the Elves subjugated it and forced the first king to sign the Elven Accords that the Domain itself lived under. Since then, the Royaume has enjoyed cordial relations with the Elves and the Draconic Empire. In 1753 DE, after the discovery of the new world, the Royaume planted a flag upon the first island, within the same day as the Commonwealth. This has led to some difficulty between the two human-led factions. The Royaume was split into 8 Cantons, commonly known as the Lands of... ("Pays des ..."). Each Canton is headed by a family of great repute in the Royaume, although not all see eye-to-eye on the future of the country. Politics The Royaume is a total monarchy, the royal family is widely loved by the people for their mostly-tolerant nature. As a feudal society, there is a hierarchy, but it allows a certain level of social progression for the deeds of an individual. After the Royal Family, the next most important class is the Nobility, followed by the Commoners. The Royal Family The direct (Well, mostly) bloodline of the founder king, the Royal Family rules by the grace of the gods, and with the advice of the royal court. The Royal Line is still handed from father to eldest living son of the family, even if the son is of no fit age to rule when the father dies. In these cases, often a vizier will be appointed to guide the son, sometimes with the oversight of the former-Queen. Currently, the Royaume is on the fourteenth official King, however, there have been a number of deposed, despotic, or unfortunate rulers in it's time that have had their names stricken from the official Charter of the DeLeon kings. The Nobility Noblesse Oblige is in full effect here. The Nobility are lords, counts, knights, and owners of a great deal of land. With title comes responsibility, however, and each noble family is expected to maintain a standing army in service to the King on behalf of the country, of a "Befitting size given their standing and holdings". Outside of attending court and leading their battalions where the King orders, the duties of the Nobility are primarily to look after their lands, people and enforce the King's Law. After the king, in descending order, are the following ranks of noble prestige. Duke / Duchess Usually relatives of the royal family that aren't directly in line to the throne, they serve as the central members of the Royal Court, advising the incumbent monarch on matters of national and international interest. Marquis Leader of a frontier land. Before the discovery of the new world, largely in disuse. The duty of a Marquess is to keep a firm controlling grasp on the people of the frontier and protect it from barbarian or other forces. Count / Countess A title given as grateful thanks for services rendered, through military or other deeds. Sometimes also given by a monarch to their close lower-nobility friends to allow them greater social standing. A Count does not require lands to have a title, unlike many of the ranks of nobility. the heir of a Count is called a Viscount, and they rule over a slightly smaller area of the Count's land where possible. Baron / Baroness Owner and lord of a Barony, an area of land gifted by the King as a reward and thanks for services rendered, the Baron must collect taxes and deal with the general day-to-day accounting for their Barony. Often, but not always, a Baron holds another title such as Count or even Duke. Knight Holding no major noble grounds and not an automatic part of the Royal Court, a Knight is a soldier or commander in the sworn service to the king. Knights often swear loyalty to a higher-up member of the royal court when they are not themselves holders of more than one title, and serve them as protector of their lands and deeds. A Knight is expected to be valorous and chivalrous in conduct and combat. The Knight's apprentice, a Squire, has the duty of keeping the knight's armor and weapons maintained, as well as shaving, bathing, and organizing anything the Knight so wishes. With knights who have no other title, this can include preparing of meals and other such day-to-day tasks, however this is relaxed for knights who hold other positions and can afford to have proper servants. Commoners Anyone who does not hold a title or land is called a Commoner. Farmers will work land they are given by the Baron in exchange for pay, whereas shopkeepers and other such industrious individuals make enough money to afford their own building on someone else's lands. Military The standing army is led by various members of the Nobility, each of whom has their own family Coat of Arms that is worn by the soldiers under their command. Although the exact makeup of an army is determined by the head of the noble family themselves (including the pay and provisions), usually the standard battalion includes Pikemen, Men-At-Arms (such as Cavalrymen or Swordsmen), and Archers. The precise amount of soldiers under the control of a Noble depends on their standing in the court, with higher-placed nobility expected to have a stronger, more populated force than lower. Not maintaining a suitable army can be seen as an act of disrespect to the King and Royal Family, a slight to the whole country, and can lead to sanctions, loss of privileges, loss of land and even, eventually, loss of title. The Law and Criminality Each land-owner keeps a contingent of their armed forces as Town Guards, typically they deal with the day-to-day running of crimes. For minor crimes, a small stay in the local jail is common, but for major crimes, execution by hanging or the headsman's axe is the go-to. For longer term leniency, prisoners may be locked up in an Asylum, and treated as criminally insane. The Clerics and other staff will try their best to cure this "insanity" from the criminal, but this rarely works, and a few years stay can become decades or a lifetime of failed attempts to help reahbilitate these criminals. Technology The Royaume, due to it's close ties to the Elven Domain, has made little headway past them in terms of technological progression. Although muskets are being bought from the Commonwealth by enterprising nobles and the occasional shopkeeper, development in the Royaume is slowed out of fear of damaging diplomatic relations with the techno-phobic high elves of the Domain. The Royaume, however, have mastered a form of flight- Steampunk Airships can be seen in the skies above the main cities, and many other technological discoveries that just skirt underneath the Domain's tight laws have been created. Ingenuity knows no boundaries. Geography The Royaume is primarily temperate, getting warmer in the south but generally keeping a fairly lukewarm climate with not-too-harsh winters. Many great forests sweep the land, and criss-crossing rivers cover a great deal of it. Society Society in the Royaume resembles medieval feudal Europe. Cities built around castles made of stone, small villages placed along rivers, and farmlands that reach to the borders of great woods. People live humble, pious lives in most of the Royaume. Food and Drink Roast meats are very popular dishes, as are a variety of ways to prepare vegetables. Bread is served often, though not as frequently as in other places. For peasants, most meat is game such as birds, ducks, or rabbit, but with a roasted pig or cow on Prayer Day is also common, typically bought from a local butcher at a decent price. In the southern Royaume, pasta dishes reign supreme as the staple diet, and Wine is the official beverage of much of the country- though quality varies depending on the price and region. Clothing Peasants typically wear several layers of hard-wearing cloth. Long dresses that come to ankle length are common, as are cloth caps for women to keep their hair out of their faces when working. Men typically wear pants and jerkins, although towards the south Kilts are commonly seen. The Nobility pride themselves in exquisite thin and light fabrics, like silk, and often wear clothing that is very revealing if not very protective. Wearing jewelry is commonplace, and even commoners will buy things such as wedding bands and other small items of value. Marriage and Family Marriage is a monogamous institution between two partners. Although there is nothing against same-sex partnerships, the sexism still inherent in much of the culture makes a female/female marriage difficult to maintain due to the lack of jobs available for women. However, having a mistress (of either gender) is not uncommon for the head of the house, and in fact it is quite common to attend events with a favoured mistress if your wife is not available, and some will even attend with a mistress and their spouse. Family life is fairly important, with the mother being tasked with the rearing of children until they are old enough to be married away or put to work. Popularity As mentioned above, jewelry and thin, soft fabrics are in vogue, but so is imported china from the Draconic Empire and fine earthenware made in the Royaume itself. Fruit dishes are popular in cuisine, with many chefs priding themselves on their ingenius combinations of fruits. Education The Nobility typically hire private educators, often from the Mage's Guild, to teach their children until they reach puberty. After this, they are taught by their fathers the trades of their social rank if they are male, or sent to a finishing school to learn matters of courtly ettiquette and intrigue if female. Education for Commoners is poor. Most are barely-literate. Prayer School, every prayer day, is held for those who haven't started work (Typically children below the age of eleven), with a religious bent the Prayer Day lessons focus on reading passages of holy scriptures and learning basic writing. Once every month or two, depending on where they live, caravans of followers of Kurise will show up and the clerics will teach as much basic numeracy and science as possible before they move on to the next town. Medicine Where possible people will visit their local cleric for healing. However, in most churches the average Cleric will barely be of a level to use minor restoration, so the free services are often not good enough for serious illness. In these cases, people will travel to an Apothecary and spend much of their savings on potions to cure disease or other treatments. Species and Religion The Royaume don't have much in the way of species discrimination, although they do tend to put Elven culture on a pedestal- many nobles like to claim Elven blood as a way of showing they are "superior" to others. Religions other than the Divines are frowned upon, and people found worshipping gods outside those accepted in the Divine Pantheon are openly reviled and mistrusted. Death in the Royaume Death is treated as a solemn affair. Bodies are buried after a three day mourning period, during which they are cleaned, laid out in a bedroom, and people are allowed a private moment to say their goodbyes. This period is known as the "Dernier Adieu" or the Last Farewell. Mourners are expected to wear dark or muted colours, if they are unable to afford a full outfit then a black neckerchief is worn symbolically. The deceased is traditionally dressed in their finest clothes, regardless of colour, for the ceremony. Cleaning of the body for presentation is usually done by the closest female relative of the deceased- a wife, daughter, mother or fianceé are most common- and in well-off families it is not uncommon for a "Final Portrait" to be commissioned- a painting of the deceased as though they were sleeping. The body is then entombed in either a mausoleum, buried in the family plot, or a public graveyard, with a wooden or stone marker upon which is engraved the deceased's name, date of birth, date of death, and a small epitaph decided on by their closest mourner as a tribute, usually a quotation or poem. Bathing and Utilities Bathing is done on Prayer Day, at the end of the working week. Bathing more than once a week is seen as odd, and even potentially dangerous, with many believing it "Dries the skin". Scented perfumes are used by men and women frequently. Bathing typically takes place in gender-segregated bathhouses in poorer areas, with richer families able to own a private bathing room. Utilities tend to be an outhouse that is moved and filled in once a year in rural areas, and in urban areas typically a pisspot that is taken to a sewer grate when full, generally considered to be the least-pleasant household chore. Taboos Until the reign of DeLeon XIV, women were not allowed to inherit a full title or land, instead they would be inherited along with the money and land of the family. The noble title was inherited purely through the male line. While this is now changing, there is still something of a taboo around women inheriting class and social status that was in the past afforded to men. Drunkenness on prayer day is a criminal offense, and public intoxication in general is looked upon harshly. Drug use is also, generally, considered criminal. The list of authorized potions is limited to only those that heal or restore, even potions that buff your abilities are considered potentially contraband. Nudity is considered embarrassing outside of a same-gender bathhouse for adults. Public nudity is a criminal offense. Public use of magic by non-Guild mages is frowned upon, and depending on the spell and reason can even lead to up to a week's imprisonment. Category:Factions Category:The Royaume Category:Societies